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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bore — to tire
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rash — a series
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pop — music
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pop — soda
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pop — to visit
  23. shower — rain
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com